Eco-friendly chitosan-based nanocomposites: Chemistry and applications

The deacetylated chitin derivative, chitosan (CS), as a linear polysaccharide having reactive side amino groups is among the favorite bio-based materials due to its nontoxicity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, antimicrobial properties mucoadhesivity among other advantages. Chitosan as a hydrophilic biopolymer exhibits a variety of physicochemical and biological properties resulting in numerous applications in fields such as pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, cosmetics, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, agriculture, textiles, food processing nutrition, etc. The mechanical properties and hardness of CS are frequently not enough to meet some of the biomedical applications requirements. The addition even of a very small amount of nanoparticles leads to obtain materials with improved mechanical, chemical, and antimicrobial properties targeted to particular application. The mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial properties of the nanocomposites as well as their biodegradability and applications are reviewed